Is the WHODB Clinton's Frankenstein Monster?

by J. Orlin Grabbe

In Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein,
a Swiss student of the natural sciences, Victor Frankenstein, puts together
pieces of corpses to create an artificial man. The resultant monster finds
no friends, and ends up destroying his creator.

In a similar vein, Bill Clinton put together the White House
Office Data Base (WHODB, or "Big Brother") from information found in
other data bases. (As I reported in the post "Will Filegate Bring Down
the FBI?", the number of FBI individual files found in the WHODB is
2044 or 2046, about 1135 more than reported in the mainstream press.)
This "Big Brother" monster has created no friends on Capitol Hill or
much of anywhere else, and may end up destroying its creator, Bill
Clinton.

In June, in "The White House 'Big Brother' Data Base," I alluded
to the Systematics "back door" into the WHODB. Few people seemed to
grasp the significance of this back door. They seemed to think that
the Clinger committee investigation was where the action was. They didn't
realize that the back door into the WHODB turned it into a two-edged sword.
The back door allowed Bill Clinton's Big Brother monster to be redirected
at Bill Clinton himself.

First of all, the WHODB data was downloaded and turned over to
the Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr. This mechanism by-passes the feeble
efforts of the Clinger committee, and allows the direct evidence of
criminality to be presented to a grand jury without the usual extended
prelude of congressional grandstanding--which would postpone any action
past the November election. (Clinger is properly outraged at the existence
of Big Brother, as are most people on Capitol Hill. But it was also Clinger
who helped coverup the evidence of Vince Foster's murder. Hopefully Dan
Burton will do a better job.)

Secondly, the WHODB is a treasure trove of records of White
House activity. All of Dick Morris' hotel expenses, incurred while he
shared quality time with sex entrepreneur Sherry Rowlands, were carefully
detailed in the WHODB. Dick Morris is now cooperating with the Starr
investigation. Do you suppose there are more Dick Morris's waiting
to happen?

Perhaps this is why Bill Clinton sent a threatening message to
Kenneth Starr. He's scared. That's why Leon Panetta and George
Stephanopoulos are out doing damage control. The damage is serious.
And it has only started.

The five plus lines of cocaine a day (see "Bill Clinton's Cocaine
Habit") are not helping Bill's paranoia any. Is that now why two Apache
attack helicopters precede his campaign bus, wherever he goes? Is he
worried about Syrians? Iranians? Iraqis? Or is it fellow Democrats?